SATIRE

HA! THAT'S FUNNY, BUT WHY?

An Internet WebQuest on Satire

created by Kim Brydges, English Teacher

Boise High School, Boise, Idaho

THE INTRODUCTION

THE QUEST

THE PROCESS & RESOURCES

THE EVALUATION

THE CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the fantastically funny and occasionally biting world of satire! Today you will embark on a journey that will introduce you to the concept of satire and prepare you to utilize this technique on your own.

DISCLAIMER: Before beginning this quest, you must first realize that some satire can be deemed inappropriate in certain circles. Keeping this in mind, I have tried to select examples that are appropriate for the school setting. In return, I expect you to do me the same justice as you begin to write your own satire near the end of the quest. ASK me if you have any questions!

THE QUEST:
	DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS OF SATIRE WELL ENOUGH TO WRITE A SATIRICAL PIECE OF YOUR OWN?

THE PROCESS & RESOURCES:

This WebQuest will require both collaborative and individual tasks. To begin, you will work in pairs to understand the concept of satire. Each pair will record their answers to the questions listed in the first three phases of the quest on a Word Document. As a member of a partnership, you are to participate in the acquisition of the necessary information identified in these first three phases. When you are done with these phases, you will print your document and turn it in to me. The fourth and final phase will be an individual assignment.

You will begin by learning some background information on both satire and parody. Later in the quest, you will explore examples of these concepts found on the Internet. Finally, you will work individually on an assignment that will demonstrate your knowledge of satire.

PHASE ONE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

DIRECTIONS: USE THE PROVIDED LINK TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. RECORD YOUR ANSWERS ON YOUR WORD DOCUMENT.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

1. What is the dictionary definition of satire?

2. From what Latin word does satire originate?

3. What is the meaning of this Latin word?

4. What is the dictionary definition of parody?

5. How are satire and parody alike?

6. How are satire and parody different?

PHASE TWO: EXAMPLES OF SATIRE

DIRECTIONS: USE THE PROVIDED LINKS TO READ EXAMPLES OF SATIRE. ANSWER THE PROMPT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PHASE FOR EACH OF THE LINKS.

"Miss Kindergarten America" by Carol Schacter (7.)

"Wal-Mart Announces Massive Rollback On Employee Wages" as seen in THE ONION (8.)

"NFL Fines Micheal Vick $50,000 For Using Breath Asure" as seen on Nonewswire.com (9.)

QUESTION: What makes each of these articles satirical? (Write 1-2 paragraphs for each article in your Word Document)

PHASE THREE: OTHER FORMS OF SATIRE/PARODY

DIRECTIONS: CLICK ON THE PROVIDED LINKS TO SEE FURTHER EXAMPLES OF SATIRE AND SOME OF PARODY. ANSWER THE PROMPT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PHASE FOR EACH OF THE LINKS.

CARTOON - TESTING (10.)	ANOTHER CARTOON - YOUR NAME (11.)

SONG SAMPLES (12.)	ANOTHER SONG (13.)
(CHOOSE A FILE TO DOWNLOAD)

TELEVISION (14.)

(Click on SNL cast for a clip of "Celebrity Jeopardy"! You will
need to click on the Real Player icon to view the file!)

**NOTE: IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO VIEW THIS LINK,
SIMPLY DOWNLOAD & READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF
THIS EPISODE WITH THE LINK BELOW:

TRANSCRIPT OF SNL JEOPARDY

QUESTION: What makes each of these examples either satire or parody? (Write 1-2 paragraphs for each example in your Word Document)

BEFORE BEGINNING PHASE FOUR, SPELL/GRAMMAR CHECK YOUR WORD DOCUMENT, PRINT IT, AND TURN IT IN TO ME!

PHASE FOUR: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

It is now your turn to try some satire of your own! Individually, you will create a phoney advertisment that is an obvious example of satire and present it to the class in commercial form. Remember to heed the dangers of satire as it can, at times, border on inappropriateness. Care MUST be taken to be sure your advertisment is school appropriate.

Below you will find a link to the actual assignment sheet for this project. Follow the directions on the link and good luck!

SATIRE ADVERTISEMENT ASSIGNMENT SHEET

SAMPLE TOPICS:
DEHYDRATED WATER: Why tote around a bulky Nalgene bottle when you could carry a couple of teaspoons of this handy super substance? You can take it anywhere; just think of the possibilities! All it takes is some water to activate this amazing product!

DOGGIE DENTAL STRIPS: Now would you do anything less for Man's Best Friend? Avoid embarrassment and derision for your pet - whiten his smile and give him a renewed self-confidence! Allow Rover the regal smile he's always wanted!

CHILDREN'S ER KIT: Don't be fooled ... kids may seem to be playing doctor, but with this medical kit by Battat, they really are doctors playing "ER"! The Children's ER Kit is complete with all the necessary instruments (blood pressure monitor, full syringe, dirty scapel, used drip bag, and a bedpan with actual urine!) for any emergency!

THE EVALUATION:

When finished, your advertisments will be presented to the class in commercial format. The assignment sheet outlines the point breakdown for the components of the assignment and the below link will take you to the oral presentation rubric.

ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC

THE CONCLUSION:

By completing this WebQuest, you have learned what satire is, how to identify it, and how to use it on your own. You also learned that satire can be found in many forms and that it can sometimes be deemed inappropriate in certain circles. As with most humor, not everyone will find every joke funny. As the late, great Will Rogers once said, "Everything is funny when it is happening to someone else!" Keep this in mind for any future satire endeavors!

Remember that satire can be a very powerful tool!

USE IT WITH CAUTION!


	ISN'T THAT RIGHT MR. CLINTON?

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

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